Haven't blogged in awhile...and it's not that I haven't still had moments where God has revealed Himself in new ways. I just have lacked the desire to share them for some reason. But then I remember how encouraged I am by other people's blogs. Since I want God to be able to use me to impact others, blogging is something I must discipline myself to do, so I can share how AWESOME He is!! :)
For those of you who haven't visited www.utmost.org yet, I STRONGLY encourage you to do so. I set it as my browser window homepage so it pops up when I get online. Then NO excuses not to dig deeper into your relationship with God!
That devotional has given me a ton of good material to break down for you. However, I read something from another source just a minute ago that I want to explore.
"I am not trying to preach or force religion, but if you have any faith, any, share it. "
This is the perspective within the nursing career as well- we are to encourage expressions of "faith". Any faith. (I'm thinking..."because having any faith at all is better than none??!") This theology bothers me. You see, I have been blessed with an abundance of faith in Jesus. I think God knew I'd need it with what I've been through. And I'm simply too logical NOT to connect the dots.
Here's the dots...
1- We are obviously created beings. Our body's DNA alone would stretch to the sun and back about 50 times. If you are a logical, thinking person, the more you learn about how complex you are, you've got to admit we didn't just evolve out of mud and protoplasm.
2- If we were CREATED...then whoever created us gets to make the rules. I am "over" my children, as head of the household. I make the rules and enforce them in love. If I let the kids make the rules, this would not go well for them, I assure you. So....if we were created, and can conclude that there is a "higher power", then they are the ones that make the rules.
3- Jesus Christ walked the earth. We know this. There is more evidence that he existed, then that William Shakespeare existed, and no one questions HIS life! Jesus proclaimed to be the son of God, the sent Messiah/savior. So He was either right, or he was nuts. If your professor began calling himself the son of God, you wouldn't think he was a great teacher/prophet...you'd think he was crazy. Send him away to a facility. SO- this man, Jesus Christ, existed in the flesh, walked among man, performed miracles, prophesied events, and called Himself the son of God.
4- Jesus Christ's body is no longer in His tomb. That's because He rose from the dead. This is how we get to live with Him forever, because He went to hell and back for us. Literally. You find His body, you let me know.
5- This God, as the creator, and Jesus, as His son, exist and are real and dwell in heaven. They are the ones we answer to. They are in charge. They reign above all created matter, because THEY created the matter.
These are the logical dots that I have made, because if you believe in God, He has to be almighty, He has to have power, He has to be unknown in many ways...because if I can reduce Him to be like me, and think like me, then He is no longer a Holy, perfect, God...He is a glorified version of man.
And here is what HE has to say:
"ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus" Romans 6:23
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8
"If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" Romans 10:9
"Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Christ Jesus" Romans 5:1
"There is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me." Isaiah 45:21
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me." John 14:6
So if He is a holy, righteous God who gets to make the rules, is it logical to believe you can worship/believe whatever you want and still slide by into heaven because of good deeds? Are you just banking your eternity on wishes and hopes that you'll be good enough? Do you think it doesn't matter because, well, who KNOWS what happens when you die? Well, the answer is in the scriptures above. You get to make the choice, because He loves you so much He's not going to force you to love Him. Which I think is pretty nice of Him.
I'm in this battle for your soul. I'm "in it to win it." I want you to know the truth so you can be set free from sin, defeat, and despair. No way would I ever, ever encourage you to believe something, anything. There is one God, and one Jesus, and He is absolutely AMAZING! You can't earn His love- it's yours already! He cares for us and shows that love in ways I would love you to see. If you want to reject Him for a lesser version, a god of your own making...you can. But I don't recommend it.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Get up and go!
Last evening I enjoyed a great night of worship with some fellow single moms at The Well, a ministry of First Baptist Concord Church in Farragut. After the singing, we received a great message about CHANGE. The Holy Spirit was a'movin' and a'shakin'!!
Change...sometimes change is good...sometimes change is not as good. Some of us crave it, some of us hate it. Sometimes, like the changing of the seasons, it brings relief. Sometimes, like time passing, leaving us older still, it brings sorrow. But like it or not, change is something that all of us will have to endure. It is simply part of the human experience. And while we don't always have a choice about when or where we will encounter change, we do have a choice of how we respond. Now, while that was easily read, THINK about it. WE have a CHOICE in how we respond to ALL change in our life.
How serious are you about wanting to change something about your life? If something negative has happened, such as a divorce, losing a job, losing a loved one, moving to a new place where you don't know a soul...what now? Changing the way that we respond to stressful, life-changing events requires intent. It will not happen by chance, and it won't be effective, lasting change without the power of God behind it.
The speaker gave us several things that are vital if we want to allow God to make changes within us that will last:
1- Spend time with God each morning. Yes, you can do the afternoon or evening. But allowing God to fill you up before chaos begins makes the day so much smoother. You commit and purpose each day for the Lord and then surrender to Him all day long. I myself have seen the blessings that come from seeking Him early. It is a good thing. Remember: you don't need to be more or be better, you just need to be closer to Christ. It's the only way you can have lasting change in your life.
2- Stand up on the inside. Sometimes we just talk about all the ways we want to do better or are gonna do better and then feel defeated when we fail. Let what you believe inside be how you live outside. Stand up inside and resolve to act on what you know is true, regardless of how you feel or what you see. As Beth Moore says, "our theology oughta match our reality."
3- Choose to become a prisoner of HOPE instead of sin. We have been bought at a price, friends. There is nothing, NOTHING that is outside the reach of the healing hands of Christ. "Yes, my soul, find rest in God. My hope comes from him." Psalm 62:5
4- Never give up! Even if you aren't seeing any progress, be assured, if you are drawing nearer to God and deepening your faith in Him, He will be faithful to continue molding you into who He wants you to be. "We walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Cor 5:7
Do you want to be well? Do you want to be healed and whole? (Of course, goober!; you think...)
One story in John 5 is about an ill man laying on a mat by a special pool in Bethesda. Once in awhile, at "certain seasons" an angel would come stir up the pool and whoever stepped in first was healed! Well, this man had been there for THIRTY EIGHT (38!) years. On a mat. Possibly in pain. Seriously. And the first thing our sweet Lord asks him is: "Do you wish to get well?"
And again we think, of course, goober! What kind of question is that?! But as you will notice as you read more of His word...He doesn't ask useless questions. He never acts without purpose. So clearly there is something to be discovered here. I think that before we can get better, before we can move into the next phase of our life and graduate from our "mat", and before we can have lasting, effective change in our hearts, we have to WANT to be well. At any cost. Trusting Him to do it. You can't hem and haw about wanting to be "well" when it comes to a relationship with Christ. He simply doesn't work that way.
Interestingly, the man's response to Jesus' question is this: "I had no one to put me in the pool!" Umm yeah..I'm pretty sure Jesus knew that already. In fact, it says that he knew the man had been a long time in that condition. Seems like it should have been a YES PLEASE! answer to the question. So...let's dig deeper...
When Jesus asks me if I want to be well..do I point fingers at other people? Do I blame those who hurt me, instead of forgiving and allowing Him to heal my heart? Let's stop focusing on the problems we have had. This man had been focusing on his problem for 38 years and it was the first thing out of his lips when Jesus spoke to him. "I'm ill...nobody's helping me...I'm always last in the pool." I'm sure his situation was rough. I'm sure it warranted some emotion. But when the God Almighty meets you face to face and is about to make you well, are you gonna put on your pity party hat?? I'm sure I've done it before. Stories like this one I believe are there to remind us not only how to live like Christ, but to remind us how easily we resort to our fleshly ways without Him.
God will let you stay on that mat for the next 38 years. He never forces you to choose Him, to be well. To be filled with his Spirit and the blessings that accompany it- things like love, joy, peace and patience. He allows us to choose the mat, to stay down, defeated and bitter, pointing fingers at everyone who let us down.
I want to be well!! I want to be wholly surrendered to Him, so that all my past regrets and all my past hurts and all my past failures can be used to make me better or can be discarded by the only One who truly knows me. I don't want to lay on the mat any more and throw pity parties in my heart. Oh Lord, make me well. I want to thrive, not just survive....
Change...sometimes change is good...sometimes change is not as good. Some of us crave it, some of us hate it. Sometimes, like the changing of the seasons, it brings relief. Sometimes, like time passing, leaving us older still, it brings sorrow. But like it or not, change is something that all of us will have to endure. It is simply part of the human experience. And while we don't always have a choice about when or where we will encounter change, we do have a choice of how we respond. Now, while that was easily read, THINK about it. WE have a CHOICE in how we respond to ALL change in our life.
How serious are you about wanting to change something about your life? If something negative has happened, such as a divorce, losing a job, losing a loved one, moving to a new place where you don't know a soul...what now? Changing the way that we respond to stressful, life-changing events requires intent. It will not happen by chance, and it won't be effective, lasting change without the power of God behind it.
The speaker gave us several things that are vital if we want to allow God to make changes within us that will last:
1- Spend time with God each morning. Yes, you can do the afternoon or evening. But allowing God to fill you up before chaos begins makes the day so much smoother. You commit and purpose each day for the Lord and then surrender to Him all day long. I myself have seen the blessings that come from seeking Him early. It is a good thing. Remember: you don't need to be more or be better, you just need to be closer to Christ. It's the only way you can have lasting change in your life.
2- Stand up on the inside. Sometimes we just talk about all the ways we want to do better or are gonna do better and then feel defeated when we fail. Let what you believe inside be how you live outside. Stand up inside and resolve to act on what you know is true, regardless of how you feel or what you see. As Beth Moore says, "our theology oughta match our reality."
3- Choose to become a prisoner of HOPE instead of sin. We have been bought at a price, friends. There is nothing, NOTHING that is outside the reach of the healing hands of Christ. "Yes, my soul, find rest in God. My hope comes from him." Psalm 62:5
4- Never give up! Even if you aren't seeing any progress, be assured, if you are drawing nearer to God and deepening your faith in Him, He will be faithful to continue molding you into who He wants you to be. "We walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Cor 5:7
Do you want to be well? Do you want to be healed and whole? (Of course, goober!; you think...)
One story in John 5 is about an ill man laying on a mat by a special pool in Bethesda. Once in awhile, at "certain seasons" an angel would come stir up the pool and whoever stepped in first was healed! Well, this man had been there for THIRTY EIGHT (38!) years. On a mat. Possibly in pain. Seriously. And the first thing our sweet Lord asks him is: "Do you wish to get well?"
And again we think, of course, goober! What kind of question is that?! But as you will notice as you read more of His word...He doesn't ask useless questions. He never acts without purpose. So clearly there is something to be discovered here. I think that before we can get better, before we can move into the next phase of our life and graduate from our "mat", and before we can have lasting, effective change in our hearts, we have to WANT to be well. At any cost. Trusting Him to do it. You can't hem and haw about wanting to be "well" when it comes to a relationship with Christ. He simply doesn't work that way.
Interestingly, the man's response to Jesus' question is this: "I had no one to put me in the pool!" Umm yeah..I'm pretty sure Jesus knew that already. In fact, it says that he knew the man had been a long time in that condition. Seems like it should have been a YES PLEASE! answer to the question. So...let's dig deeper...
When Jesus asks me if I want to be well..do I point fingers at other people? Do I blame those who hurt me, instead of forgiving and allowing Him to heal my heart? Let's stop focusing on the problems we have had. This man had been focusing on his problem for 38 years and it was the first thing out of his lips when Jesus spoke to him. "I'm ill...nobody's helping me...I'm always last in the pool." I'm sure his situation was rough. I'm sure it warranted some emotion. But when the God Almighty meets you face to face and is about to make you well, are you gonna put on your pity party hat?? I'm sure I've done it before. Stories like this one I believe are there to remind us not only how to live like Christ, but to remind us how easily we resort to our fleshly ways without Him.
God will let you stay on that mat for the next 38 years. He never forces you to choose Him, to be well. To be filled with his Spirit and the blessings that accompany it- things like love, joy, peace and patience. He allows us to choose the mat, to stay down, defeated and bitter, pointing fingers at everyone who let us down.
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